KATHMANDU: The shooting of the French feature film ‘Digbi’ is set to take place in Nepal.

A film crew, including Director Alan Simon, have arrived in Nepal to scout location for the movie shoot.

The film crew held a press conference at Dwarika’s Hotel in Kathmandu on Sunday to provide a synopis of the movie.

Digbi, which will be made in French, will be shot in Kathmandu and around Namche, Lukla in the Everest region. The film having a 35-day shoot schedule will also feature Nepali actors.

Film’s director Simon, who is also a French folk-rock musician best known for his rock operas, composer and writer, said 90 percent of Digbi’s shooting would be finalized in Nepal and the remaining in France.

Simon had planned to shoot a movie in Nepal since he organized a concert to raise funds to help Nepalis hit by the earthquakes in 2015.

‘Many foreigners come to Nepal in search of spirituality. I, too, have come to make a film that shall provide joy and happiness,” Simon said at a press conference.

Stating that COVID-19 crisis had hit the global film industry, including Nepal’s, Director Simon hoped that his film Digbi would help promote Nepal’s tourism.

Amid flood of movies such as James Bond and Jurassic Park, he said he preferred to showcase spirituality and social message through his film.

“Jurassic Park’s VFX is awesome, but is there a story? Are those films connected to society?” Simon wondered.

He said that the films should be made for the theater rather than mediums. “Film is not for the small screen. It is for the big screen and it must be grand. One should be happy when view it,” he said.

He informed that the film is the story of a nomad who came to Nepal from Europe in search of spirituality, music and meaning of life. The story of the film is about the change that takes place when the main character ‘Pavel’ meets a child playing ‘sarangi’ when he comes to Nepal.

The casting of the main character of the film, Digbi, will be done soon, Simon informed.

Digbijay Bharti and Suresh Adhikari, the Nepal line producers of the film, said that there would be a Nepali team in the film.

Stating that the production of the film will start from March, they said that the film will be shot in the tourist heritage and tourist areas of Kathmandu. “It will be a film with a universal appeal,” they said.

Nepal Film Production Pvt. Ltd. has stated that it will work on other international projects in the near future as well.

Manager of the company Digbijay Bharti said that the film would help Nepal’s tourism.